Australian internet users who download films illegally via torrent sites could face claims of thousands of dollars if a Hollywood film company gets its way in the Federal Court.

The makers of the 2013 Oscar-winning hit Dallas Buyers Club have launched a legal bid to force a handful of Australian internet companies to hand over details of customers who have illegally downloaded the film.

The company that owns the rights to the film initiated legal action in the Federal Court and named the internet service provider iiNet and several smaller ISPs as respondents.

The move is the latest in a longstanding campaign by entertainment companies to reduce piracy and stem the damage it causes to the multi-billion dollar industry. iiNet, one of Australia’s largest providers of ADSL connections, said it would fight the legal action :: Read the full article »»»»

Australians are among the worst offenders when it comes to illegal downloads, Senator Brandis is also apparently considering asking ISPs to block sites where content can be illegally downloaded.

Copyright holders like film, television and music studios have long argued that it is ISPs role to prevent internet users from illegally downloading their content.

The glitch in the plan might be a landmark High Court ruling in 2012, where the court found service provider iiNet wasn’t responsible for its customers’ illegal activities :: Read the full article »»»»

More than a PVR and Less than Foxtel IQ

FetchTV is iiNets entry into the pay tv market. Going up against heavy weights like Foxtel and Telstra may not seem like a sensible plan but iiNet may be onto something here. It makes use of the spare capacity in the network and provides iiNet with a whole new revenue stream. At it’s most basic FetchTV is a PVR – Personal Video Recorder – with the addition of internet delivered content. What iiNet have achieved is to provide the basics for a good price , in a more strategic sense they have aimed at a gap in the market, fill that gap iiNet. At the moment this is most evident in the collection of European soccer channels and world wide news channels. Don’t replicate Foxtel, go for the parts of the market they have ignored. Read the full article »»»»